Amber alerts

An arrested child molester in France explained how he came to have a packet of Viagra in his pocket:

Evrard, whose most recent conviction for sexual crimes was only three years ago and who had been described as one psychiatrist as “barely readaptable”, told detectives that he had been given a prescription for the pills in prison after telling a doctor there that he had erection problems.

Perhaps he's lying. If not, it's a revealing story, not just because he is a paedophile. Being unable to get an erection might be no bad thing in prison; the sexual frustration endured by long term prisoners is much more profound and more enduring in its effects than is commonly realised.

Of course, it depends where you get arrested. American prisoners get sued for masturbating; in the Netherlands, they can hire prostitutes. Perhaps hard core porn and Viagra is a Gallic compromise.

Reading further:

The boy was snatched from the streets of Roubaix, near Lille, last weekend. He was found - with Evrard in a garage used by the man - thanks in part to a new French alert system for missing children.

Perhaps this is based on the American Amber Alert system:

AMBER Alert is a proven success and has helped rescue more than 324 children nationwide. More than 90 percent of those recoveries have occurred since AMBER Alert became a nationally coordinated effort in 2002. With 50 statewide AMBER plans now in place, we are meeting President Bush's goal of a National AMBER Alert network. As the National AMBER Alert Coordinator, I am committed to ensuring that we have a strong and seamless network in place to protect our children.

Since 2002. Trials predate the national rollout.

There is absolutely no excuse for the UK's failure to adopt this proven system.